Set against a backdrop of unprecedented upheaval in Britain, The Lost Prince tells the heartbreaking true story of a prince that history forgot. Acclaimed writer and director Stephen Poliakoff (Shooting the Past) assembles a fabulous cast for this true story of an Edwardian prince, John, the youngest child of George V and Queen Mary. His short life spanned one of the most momentous periods in history — the political build-up to the First World War and the machinations of European royalty in the early part of the 20th century. Diagnosed as an epileptic, and suffering from autistic-like learning difficulties, Prince John was unable to participate in public life and became increasingly isolated from his family.
Gina McKee (The Forsyte Saga), Tom Hollander (Wives and Daughters, Gosford Park), Miranda Richardson (The Hours, The Crying Game), and Michael Gambon (Wives and Daughters, Harry Potter) star in this human story of a unique family and an extraordinary boy.
A marvelous reinvention of the costume epic, The Lost Prince is Stephen Poliakoff’s absorbing study of the turbulent years leading up to and during World War I, seen through the percipient eyes of a scarcely remembered royal child. Extensively researched, impeccably cast, beautifully filmed, written and directed by Poliakoff himself with masterly economy and restraint, this is a timely reminder that original, intelligent drama can work as prime-time entertainment while appealing on multiple levels; and there isn’t an escaped soap star in sight. Johnnie, the prince kept hidden away by his parents Queen Mary and George V for fear that his epileptic fits and idiosyncratic ways might draw unwelcome attention, is not presented as a tragic figure. His view of the great events that shatter his family and change the world forever is direct and uncluttered. Poliakoff celebrates his apartness–and that of all children who are different–as a force for good, without judging the standards, protocols, and contemporary medical theories that kept him on the periphery of society. The series makes the most of its well-chosen locations, and from Johnnie’s garden at Sandringham to the assassination of the Russian imperial family, it maintains a hypnotic and elegiac quality The acting is first-rate, too. Gina McKee is profoundly moving as Johnnie’s devoted nurse Lalla, and Miranda Richardson’s Mary is an extraordinary performance, the controlled facade of single-minded focus occasionally fracturing to reveal a flash of humanity. This production is exquisite in every respect. –Piers Ford
Shown on PBS Masterpiece Theatre.
Note: Emmy winner for Outstanding Miniseries, Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries, Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries. “I have always instinctively felt if one wants to dramatize history and historical figures … it is best to do it through a half-open door — as they might appear to a child. For if we were to achieve that perennial fantasy of time travel and propel ourselves backwards into any time but our own, we would almost certainly find ourselves staring at it with the same mixture of cool detachment and deep curiosity that children naturally possess. – writer and director Stephen Poliakoff